The Get to Know our Tracks walk on 27 July included variety – a sandy beach, heathlands, fire trails, riverbank, cliff tops and some spectacular views.

After leaving the Pt Roadknight car park and a short walk along the beach we headed uphill across the windswept heathland of the Great Otway National Park and into more sheltered heathy woodland towards Messmate Track for a morning tea stop. Along the route there were colourful displays of Common Heath and the early flowering Sweet and Myrtle Wattles.

Heading west towards Pt Roadknight

Pausing to admire a colony of Gnat Orchids in flower beside the track in the Great Otway National Park

Gnat Orchid

At Mt Ingoldsby, reading about the Anglesea Heath

From the Mt Ingoldsby trig point, we made a steep descent to a winding track that contours around above the Anglesea Golf Links, and continued down to Coogoorah Park for lunch.

Following lunch, we took River Reserve Road and the path adjacent to the Anglesea River towards the beach, and then headed west along the cliff-top track to Pt Roadknight and the cars.

Observing Shy Albatrosses while looking for a whale offshore from the Lookout Reserve, Anglesea

Weed of the month

Freesia

Freesia refracta and Freesia alba X F. leichtlinii are declared weeds in the Surf Coast Shire because they spread easily and threaten to invade bushland. Freesias are perennial herbs that die back in summer and produce new foliage in winter. The highly fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers appearing in spring are white to cream and pink with yellow markings, shaded purple on outer surface. Each plant has at least two corms, one below the other, thus requiring deep digging to remove them.